The present invention relates most generally to photography. Stated more particularly, the present patent discloses and protects a lightweight, adjustable reflective element for use in still and motion photography.
Persons who have attempted to take photographs, whether still or in motion, of young children will be well aware that a common difficulty in doing so is maintaining the attention and amusement of the child while the camera is aligned and focused and the photograph taken. Photographers often entertain children with toys, facial expressions, and other means immediately prior to taking the picture or activating the video camera to get the child into a happy and smiling disposition. Then, ideally before the child""s pleasant mood has waned, the photographer attempts to align the camera and take the photograph.
Unfortunately, the time between the entertaining of the child and the taking of the photograph is often fatally long. A child who is attentive, happy, and smiling one moment can quickly become inattentive and possibly upset in the brief time it takes for the photographer to prepare to take the photograph. With this, the resulting photograph all too often fails to capture the image of the entertained child but instead depicts a distracted, frowning, or even crying child. As a result, expensive film and extensive periods of time can be exhausted in attempting to procure a useful photograph of a smiling, or at least not unhappy, child.
The experienced child caregiver will be aware, however, that children, particularly young children, are typically delighted and amazed by the mere sight of their own reflection. Indeed, a child seeing his or her own reflection can be playfully entertained for relatively long periods of time with substantially no need for adult intervention. Of course, capturing these moments of playful bewilderment, whether by still or motion photography, certainly would make for memorable and exceptionally useful still or motion photographs.
One knowledgeable in the art will appreciate that a number of prior art inventors have attempted to provide devices for providing a photographic subject, which of course would include a young child, with a reflection of him or herself while the photograph is being taken. For example, prior art disclosures, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,657 for Methods and Apparatus for Taking Portraits, have revealed mirrors coupled to cameras by, for example, an adjustable mounting bracket with a first end pivotally fixed to a camera and a second end pivotally fixed to a mirror. Other disclosures, such as U.S. Pat. No. D312,829 for a Combination Camera and Mirror, reveal devices wherein a mirror is incorporated directly and fixedly into the face of the camera. Still other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,300 for a Camera Mirror, integrate at least the lens of a camera into the face of a relatively large mirror whereby a photographic subject can see nearly a full image of him or herself. Of course, these and further prior art devices are useful not only in photographing small children but also in allowing older subjects to view themselves to assist them in properly posing and appreciating their appearance during photographing.
These and further prior art devices certainly have contributed usefully to the present state of the art. Unfortunately, however, even when combined, the teachings of the prior art leave a number of needs left unmet and suffer from a number of disadvantages, particularly as they relate to photographing young children. For example, each of the prior art devices appears to teach employing a glass mirror. Although this usefully accomplishes the goal of providing a reflection to a subject, using a glass mirror relative to children certainly presents dangers that can render use of such a mirror ill advised. Furthermore, many prior art mirrors are coupled to cameras either integrally or by complicated, dedicated structures whereby they are useful relative to just a single camera. Even further, a plurality of prior art mirror arrangements are relatively complex in construction whereby one could expect them to be expensive in manufacture and sale. Further still, a number of the disclosed mirror structures can not be adjusted in their orientation relative to the camera whereby subjects only in an exactly aligned position can view their reflection in the mirror.
In light of these and even further disadvantages of the prior art, one will appreciate that, notwithstanding the plurality of mirror arrangements that have been disclosed by the prior art, there remains a need for an improved mirror arrangement. Indeed, it is clear that a mirror arrangement providing a solution to one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art would be useful. It is still more clear that a mirror for use relative to cameras that solves each and every deficiency left by the prior art while providing a number of heretofore unrealized advantages would represent a marked advance in the art.
Advantageously, the present invention is founded on the basic object of providing a reflective element for use in still and motion photography that meets each of the needs left by the prior art while providing a number of further advantages thereover.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide a reflective element that can make the photographing of young children and others easier and more effective by providing the photographic subject with a reflection of him or herself to entertain and delight younger subjects and to enable older subjects to pose most effectively.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a reflective element that is safe even when used relative to young photographic subjects.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a reflective element that is light in weight whereby it does not adversely affect the balance or overall weight of a camera to which it is coupled.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a reflective element that is simple and convenient in construction and use, particularly as compared to prior art reflective elements.
Of course, these and further objects and advantages of the invention would be readily obvious not only to one skilled in the art who reviews the present disclosure and the accompanying drawing figures but also to one who has an opportunity to take advantage of an embodiment of the present invention.
In accomplishing the aforementioned objects, a most basic embodiment of the present invention for a reflective element for coupling to still and motion cameras for providing a self-reflection to a photographic subject is founded on a reflective element body with an upstanding face panel coupled to a base panel in an L-shaped configuration. With this, the reflective element can be affixed to the camera with the base panel in contact therewith and the upstanding face panel projecting therefrom. A means for providing a self-reflection to a photographic subject is operably associated with the upstanding face panel for providing a reflection from the generally planar front face of the upstanding face panel. In preferred embodiments, the base panel can have at least one button aperture therein for allowing access to a shutter trigger button of the camera even while the reflective element is coupled thereto.
The reflective element can be affixed to the camera by a variety of means including, for example, a hook and loop combination. Such a means advantageously allows the reflective element to be affixed to the camera by a mere pressing of the two together and for the reflective element to be separated from the camera by a mere pulling of the two apart. With this, the reflective element and the camera can be affixed together and separated without a need for tools or a manipulation of parts.
The means for providing a self-reflection to a photographic subject can comprise a thin plastic film affixed to the upstanding face panel with a reflective metal deposit disposed on the thin plastic film. Still further, the ideal means for providing a self-reflection can comprise a one-way mirror. With this, a photographic subject will be provided with a self-reflection while a photographer""s view of the photographic subject will not be hindered. Also, the upstanding face panel and the base panel can be formed from a lightweight, non-glass material such as plastic so that the reflective element will not present a danger to photographers or photographic subjects and whereby the reflective element will not significantly affect the overall weight and balance of the camera.
With certain embodiments of the present invention for a reflective element for coupling to still and motion cameras generally described, one will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important features of the invention merely to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor""s contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.